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Cloud Migration: Strategies, Process, Benefits and Challenges – Security Boulevard

September 15, 2022 | Author: admin

The pandemic accelerated technological adoption among small and midsized businesses (SMBs) by five years, forcing them to upgrade their IT infrastructure by adopting cloud-based and digital tools to stay competitive and service clients remotely. According to the 2022 IT Operations Survey Results Report, the percentage of respondents using cloud cost management tools increased from 7% to 24% as cloud adoption climbs.

Cloud services are a boon for the fast-expanding mid-market segment who can pay on the go and expand and scale their business without incurring high IT infrastructure costs. The report also highlighted that nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents spend as much as 25% of their resources on cloud infrastructure.

With cloud technologies becoming increasingly popular, this blog will aim to answer common questions such as what cloud migration means, why its important, top migration strategies and other key queries. Dive in.

Cloud migration refers to moving company data, applications and other IT resources from on-premises data centers and servers to the cloud. Companies can either transfer their data to public cloud service providers like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, or Amazon Web Services (AWS), set up their private cloud computing environment or create a hybrid environment.

With cloud services gaining popularity, there is also an increasing rise in cloud-to-cloud migrations in which companies move their resources from one cloud service provider to another. Another concept under the umbrella of cloud migration is cloud repatriation, or reverse cloud migration, in which users move their data and resources from a cloud environment to a local server.

Cloud migration is important because it gives SMBs the capability to support a diversified and hybrid employee and client base efficiently. Cloud computing is the future of IT, and not migrating to it will result in you falling behind. Consider these points:

Cloud migration strategies are in-depth plans companies make to migrate their data and resources from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud or from one cloud provider to another. No two businesses will have the same cloud migration strategy. It will vary depending on their expectations from cloud adoption, its impacts on their business operations, the money they expect to save and other business factors.

Migrating to the cloud is not a simple one-size-fits-all process. For migration to be successful, each application, dataset and workload must be mapped out in detail. According to Gartner, there are five categories of cloud migration strategies, dubbed the FIVE Rs. Lets take a look at what they are:

The cloud deployment model indicates how youve configured the cloud infrastructure, which determines how much access and control you have over it. A deployment model determines where and who controls cloud databases and servers. There are four primary deployment models, which are:

The public cloud setup gives users access to comprehensive IT resources like virtual machines, computing power, application storage and data backup over the internet without requiring them to maintain the hardware themselves. The public cloud service providers share the computing resources with multiple tenants and charge them on a pay-per-usage or subscription basis.

A private cloud setup is for use by a single customer. Companies create the cloud environment for personal use and do not share it with others. This option combines the benefits of public cloud with the security and control of an on-premise IT ecosystem. Although this setup is costly due to upfront investment in technology, many organizations find the security benefits outweigh the costs.

A hybrid cloud setup is when a company uses a mix of on-premise, public and private cloud environments. Companies use data management processes to connect systems running on traditional architecture that they may not want to expose to the cloud. Often, companies keep confidential resources and data on-premises and use the cloud for services like analytics. The hybrid model is where most businesses end up.

Multicloud setups involve connecting multiple public clouds in one architecture to create a single user experience.

A successful cloud adoption strategy will vary based on unique business needs and requirements. However, all cloud migration takes place in the following four stages:

Cloud computing technology and cloud-based services have matured. Their capabilities and reliability have advanced to a degree that for most organizations its no longer a matter of if they will launch a cloud deployment or expansion, but when. Here are some of the top benefits of cloud migration:

With no upfront commitments or long-term contracts, you pay only for the resources (storage, compute power, etc.) you use. This reduces your IT operational costs and helps boosts profits. You can spend the money you save on introducing innovation at the workplace and improving your own services.

Cloud services offer high scalability and availability to their users. Its easy to scale your usage up or down, depending on the changing needs of your business. You can also modify the computing power required with just a few clicks.

Cloud-hosted websites or applications run better for end users since the cloud provider will naturally have significantly more data centers. As these data centers are located around the globe, you can host your data in a market you want to serve and remove location-based latency. As a result, you will be able to provide better service to your users.

Cloud adoption provides businesses with flexibility and scalability by not restricting them to the physical limitations of on-premises servers. In addition, you can also take advantage of the reliability of multiple cloud data centers as well as responsive and customizable load balancing that evolves with your changing demands. This way you never have to worry about high fixed costs since everything is variable.

Even though migrating to the cloud has many benefits and is the inevitable next step in information technology, several challenges remain.

Successful migration to the cloud requires proper planning, and most companies dont pay enough attention to this step. Whether its due to lack of time, inattention or managements inability to get on the same page, errors during migration are preventable if all the wrinkles are ironed out during the planning phase.

Technology adoption comes at a cost. Many technicians see migration as a net new cost rather than considering its long-term cost-saving benefits. When companies are on a tight budget, migrating to the cloud can be challenging. However, the cloud can be a great way for companies to save money and unlock efficiencies in their business.

Cloud operates on a shared responsibility model where the service providers supply robust security controls but the responsibility to configure them correctly is up to the users. There is also a risk associated with mass data transfers, as information can get intercepted during the transfer. When using cloud services, users must exercise all cybersecurity precautions.

Compliance is another challenge. When deploying cloud technologies, you must ensure compliance with the various rules and regulations that will vary based on your industry and location. Ensure youre compliant with the standards appropriate for your organization.

The migration to cloud computing has rapidly accelerated in the past year as organizations have digitally transformed their business. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) extends your IT environment from on-premises to the cloud. The global market size of IaaS is expected to reach nearly $82.2 billion this year. Needless to say, IT teams need an endpoint management solution that enables them to manage cloud-based environments on services such as Azure and AWS, as well as hybrid on-premise and cloud environments.

With Kaseya VSA, you can automate the discovery process of all endpoints and network devices, including virtual hosts, virtual machines and cloud infrastructure for services such as Microsoft Azure. You can deploy our automation agents to Azure Active Directory (AD), with more cloud providers on the horizon. VSA gives you the visibility and functionality you need to manage all of IT in a single UI. If your RMM cant manage your hybrid IT ecosystem, its time to upgrade. Request your demo today!

The post Cloud Migration: Strategies, Process, Benefits and Challenges appeared first on Kaseya.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Blog - Kaseya authored by Kaseya. Read the original post at: https://www.kaseya.com/blog/2022/09/14/cloud-migration-strategies-process-benefits-challenges/

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Cloud Migration: Strategies, Process, Benefits and Challenges - Security Boulevard

Top 5 Reasons To Migrate Databases to the Cloud – Spiceworks News and Insights

September 15, 2022 | Author: admin

Database migration involves moving data from one or multiple source platforms to a different database. Organizations often create a database migration strategy that helps align the migration process with specific business needs. For example, an organization may decide to migrate its on-premises data to a cloud-based database to reduce costs. Another business may opt to migrate to a database that offers extended features more suitable to current needs.

A cloud database is a managed service accessed and built via a cloud platform. Users simply request a database instance from a cloud provider, and it is automatically deployed on cloud infrastructure. A cloud database has many functions of a traditional database, with the additional flexibility offered by cloud computing.

Here are typical features of cloud databases:

Here are the top reasons you should consider moving your on-premises database to the cloud.

Migrating your database to the cloud reduces the need for in-house IT staff and data center facilities. Cloud database migration also does not need the specialized tools and resources required to manage complex IT environments. Over time, database cloud migration results in lower capital costs and decreased HVAC and electrical operating expenditures.

The cloud computing vendor offers storage, servers, and other infrastructure in a cloud database environment. It is responsible for maintaining high availability and maintaining the infrastructure. The organization that operates and owns the database is responsible for configuring it, as well as loading, managing and protecting the data.

You can scale a database up and down more easily when you migrate to the cloud. Cloud computing also provides increased elasticity and flexibility. Cloud database migration enables dynamic scaling, so additional database instances can be created to meet changing application loads.

Organizations are using the cloud to help them enforce a strong disaster recovery plan. Organizations can copy or backup entire virtual servers to an off-premises data center with cloud computing.

You can spin up the virtual server on a virtual host in a few minutes. The benefit of this is that you can safely and accurately restore a database in a remote data center without reinstalling the server. Consequently, you can cut down on disaster recovery times.

One of the key organizational goals when migrating databases to the cloud is to improve analytics capabilities, including data lakes and data warehousing. You can even prepare for advanced analytics, for example, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Data modernization is the initial step to initiating scalable analytics capabilities. Organizations can use cloud computing to achieve real-time data availability.

Via the cloud, organizations can visualize their data and provide access to more employees for improved decision-making. Most importantly, cloud providers offer a range of data analytics and machine learning services that can help organizations gain deeper insights into data without a major investment in infrastructure.

See More: Applying Gartners 6 Rs to Data Migration

Here are cloud database offerings from the worlds leading cloud providers Amazon and Microsoft.

Amazon Web Services offers the following cloud database services:

Azure offers the following cloud database services:

See More: A Cloud Networking Primer: Building Your Network in the Azure Cloud

Cloud database services are becoming a pillar of IT operations in the cloud. Traditionally, managing database infrastructure and concerns like scaling and high availability were high on the priority list of IT teams, because databases are typically a mission critical application. Today, many organizations are moving to the cloud and outsourcing these concerns to a third-party provider.

Migrating a database to the cloud is convenient, but also involves a certain loss of control. In the on-premise data center, IT staff could choose their database version, implement customizations, fine-tune performance, and easily integrate their database with legacy systems. All these become much more difficult, if not impossible, in a managed service.

That being said, there are many strong drivers for migrating to the cloud, such as cost savings, elimination of physical infrastructure, easier scalability, disaster recovery, and improved analytics.

In addition, I covered popular cloud database offerings from the big three cloud providers, which you can leverage to make a move to the cloud, notably Amazon RDS, Azure SQL Database, and Azure Cosmos DB. All the leading providers offer free trials and free pricing tiers, so you can test drive any of these services and see if a cloud database is right for your project.

Have you moved your on-premises database to the cloud? What benefits have you seen? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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Top 5 Reasons To Migrate Databases to the Cloud - Spiceworks News and Insights

Q&A: cloud computing law in Turkey – Lexology

September 15, 2022 | Author: admin

Legislation and regulation

Is cloud computing specifically recognised and provided for in your legal system? If so, how?

There is no legal definition of cloud computing technologies. Yet, there are references to cloud computing technologies or services within the scopes of personal data protection, data localisation and cybersecurity for public institutions and companies operating in certain sectors such as finance, energy and electronic communications.

Does legislation or regulation directly and specifically prohibit, restrict or otherwise govern cloud computing, in or outside your jurisdiction?

Presidential Circular No. 2019/12 (Circular), published and entered into force on 6 July 2019, sets out information and communications security measures to be applied by public institutions, public organisations and undertakings providing critical infrastructure services. Critical infrastructure sectors are listed as energy, electronic communications, banking and finance, transportation, water management and critical public services (eg, national security, healthcare). As per the Circular, public institutions and organisations shall not store their data in cloud storage services except for their own private systems or local service providers controlled by the institutions themselves. The Circular indicates that all email data servers of public institutions should be located in Turkey, although there is no specific reference to cloud computing systems. Relying on the Circular, the Digital Transformation Office at the Presidency (DTO) published its Information and Communication Security Guide in July 2020 and the Audit Guide in October 2021. DTO explains that the provisions of the Circular aim for data localisation. In other words, as long as the data is stored in local data centres and the mentioned security measures are taken, the Circular does not ban local or foreign providers from providing cloud computing services. The Guides contain general security measures and audit specifications for the provision of cloud computing services which are binding for the public institutions and any other companies operating in critical infrastructure sectors.

Separately, in its Guidelines on Biometric Data Processing, the Turkish DPA states that biometric data shall be stored in cloud systems only when cryptographic methods are used.

Additionally, there are directly applicable sector-specific provisions regarding cloud computing in Turkish law. These are as follows:

What legislation or regulation may indirectly prohibit, restrict or otherwise govern cloud computing, in or outside your jurisdiction?

Indirect prohibition or restrictions can be found in the legislations generally in the form of data localisation requirements. Examples are as follows:

What are the consequences for breach of the laws directly or indirectly prohibiting, restricting or otherwise governing cloud computing?

State officials responsible for implementing the measures included in the Circular, the Information and Communication Security Guide and the Audit Guide may face a judiciary or an administrative disciplinary proceeding due to non-compliance.

The Personal Data Protection Authority is authorised to impose administrative fines to companies in breach of personal data protection legislation.

The Ministry of Trade is authorised to enforce administrative fines to companies violating consumer protection measures.

What consumer protection measures apply to cloud computing in your jurisdiction?

Since there are no consumer protection measures specific to cloud computing, general consumer protection measures would apply to cloud computing products and services. The Law No. 6563 on Regulating Electronic Commerce and the Law No. 6502 on Consumer Protection regulate contracts with consumers that are formed and concluded electronically (distance contracts). Service providers are obliged to provide certain information to consumers before concluding contracts electronically. Among others, consumers must be informed on any technical safeguards that might affect the functionality of the digital software or application. Additionally, service providers are required to ensure that the consumer has the technical means for identifying and correcting input errors prior to the placing of the order and access to contract terms. Distance contracts shall also entail certain rights in favour of consumers, such as consumers right of withdrawal from the contract within 14 days following the delivery of services without giving any grounds and paying any fines. If the provider fails to inform the consumers on their right of withdrawal, consumers can exercise their right of withdrawal in one year following the expiration of 14 days. Service providers shall store the electronic logs regarding electronic commerce transactions for three years following the transaction date and submit these logs to the Ministry of Trade upon request. Finally, as per International Private and Procedure Law No. 5718, Turkish Courts at the consumers residence have jurisdiction if any claims are brought against the consumer. When the consumer files a claim against the service provider, Turkish courts in places where the consumers domicile or ordinary residence or the other partys domicile or ordinary residence is located are competent. Parties have the freedom to decide on the applicable law subject to the mandatory provisions of the law at the consumers ordinary residence.

Describe any sector-specific legislation or regulation that applies to cloud computing transactions in your jurisdiction.

There are several provisions regarding cloud computing in sector-specific legislation such as:

Outline the insolvency laws that apply generally or specifically in relation to cloud computing.

Turkey does not have specific insolvency laws applicable to cloud computing transactions. Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law No. 2004 (EBL) would be applicable to cloud computing suppliers as well. The EBL contains no explicit prohibition with regards to contractual early termination or automatic termination clauses based on insolvency-related events (except for concord situation). Yet, it is also generally accepted under Turkish law that the bankruptcy administration has a cherry picking right, so that it can cherry pick certain non-monetary obligations and demand their performance. Since it is not clear how customers can obtain their data back from an insolvent cloud computing providers server, they are advised to opt for contractual measures to mitigate their risk. Reflecting on this risk, cloud computing contracts usually allow parties to immediately terminate the contract if either party becomes insolvent. In some instances, the cloud computing provider may be obliged to transfer the customers data to another provider immediately when its credit rating is withdrawn or downgraded, or it does not fulfil financial requirements or when there is a decline in its tangible net worth. Customers can also buy services from multiple providers or have back-up servers to avoid a single point of failure.

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G-Cloud 13 and public sector technology procurement – Open Access Government

September 15, 2022 | Author: admin

Cloud computing is now so widely used that it has become the new normal, with on premises infrastruc- ture largely consigned to history at least for many public sector digital services. However, this is really quite a recent shift and one that was facilitated in no small part by the transformation in Cloud service procurement via The Government Digital Marketplace (originally created as CloudStore).

This transformation began in earnest in 2012 with the launch of G-Cloud, enabling public sector organisations to more easily adopt a Cloud first approach to IT. Now, with the launch of G-Cloud 13, Zoocha looks over their ten years of success in digital transformation.

One of the greatest impacts of G-Cloud has been to provide a mechanism for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to offer their services to public sector organisations. This is not only transformational for those businesses, but creates a vastly greater choice for buyers to achieve the best value for money, without increasing procurement bureaucracy.

By May 2013, a little over a year after launch, there were over 700 suppliers on the framework, the vast majority of which were SMEs. Today, SMEs account for over 90% of all suppliers listed on the G-Cloud framework.

Another key to the success of G-Cloud is the clear structure of the services offered. Since G-Cloud 9, services have been classified into three lots: Lot 1: Cloud Hosting (IaaS) and (PaaS): Cloud platform or infrastruc- ture services that can help buyers to deploy, manage and run software as well as provision and use processing, storage or networking resources. Lot 2: Cloud Software (SaaS): Appli- cations that are typically accessed over a public or private network, for example, the internet and hosted in the Cloud. Lot 3: Cloud Support: Services that support buyers to implement and maintain their Cloud systems.

This is designed to provide buyers with an easier way to identify and procure solutions and service providers, without the need for an intensive and expensive tendering process. The process for buyers is simple:

Define their requirements. Search on the digital marketplace using keywords relating to your requirements. Save and export your search results both ease the audit trail. Evaluate the services in the search results and shortlist the ones that meet your requirements and budget. Ask further clarification questions of the suppliers in your shortlist. Decide on the preferred supplier and award the contract.

Similarly, for suppliers, both the process for listing your services on G-Cloud and the direct award procurement process described above, have dramatically simplified the task of selling to public sector organisations and enabled them to compete against larger businesses on a level playing field.

In addition to Lots 1, 2 and 3, G-Cloud 13 includes a new fourth Lot. Whilst Lots 1-3 services will continue to be offered via the Digital Marketplace for buyers to search, shortlist and direct award contracts, Lot 4 will be separate, with procurement following a bidding process rather than service listing and direct award.

Lot 4 is designed to enable buyers to source providers who can implement larger-scale transition projects, from early business analysis through to migration, implementation and legacy systems integration.

In the last decade, almost 12 billion worth of Cloud services have been procured through the framework with 39% of that spend awarded to SMEs. In terms of breakdown, Cloud Support has overwhelmingly been the most successful Lot on the framework, with 6.7 billion spent since 2013 and accounting for 65% of total framework spend, with Cloud Software contributing 23% of spend and Cloud Hosting contributing 12%.

Perhaps more tellingly, the breakdown of spend by sector (i.e. type of public sector organisation) highlights that whilst G-Cloud has been successful in attracting central government buyers, accounting for 78% of framework spend, adoption by local government buyers has yet to gather pace, accounting for only 6% of spend. This means there are a huge number of organisations who are yet to access the benefits of the framework and represents one of the key future growth opportunities for G-Cloud and the suppliers listed on it.

G-Cloud has come a long way since its inception, driving transformational change in government technology procurement and in the ability for SMEs to access government contracts. We expect this trend to continue as the wider landscape of public sector organisations, including local government and health service providers, realise the benefits of using the framework for Cloud service procurement.

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IoT and the Cloud for Renewable Energy Adoption – AltEnergyMag

September 15, 2022 | Author: admin

More people are interested in green energy for their homes and businesses, but can the renewable energy sector keep up with the demand? Some inefficiencies could keep the market from growing unless industry leaders embrace the latest Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud advancements.

Both will enhance the renewable energy sector as demand for solar and wind power increases. These are a few of the most notable benefits for industry professionals who take advantage of new technologies.

Solar panels are primarily self-sustaining, but wind farms are different. The latest research shows that it costs $26 per kilowatt (kW) annually to send green wind energy to consumers. Thats a cost disadvantage to operators and may cause some to avoid investing in that type of green energy.

IoT and the cloud can reduce those maintenance costs. The software and sensors would track things like humidity, temperature, corrosion and more while backing up the data to cloud servers. Artificial intelligence (AI) programs would analyze the information and automatically adjust to prevent repairs or slowed production.

Deciding how to optimize electrical grid configuration is more challenging and time-consuming without improved technologies. Smart sensors could monitor renewable energy grids and alert utility companies to any issues reducing production or slowing equipment.

Smart meters would also analyze electricity flow between panels on solar farms, pinpointing problems so engineers wouldnt have to arrive at solutions after guesswork. Cloud backups would provide the information needed to optimize how each panel works if they wanted to compare energy production.

Working at extreme heights on wind farms or in intense sunlight on solar farms creates health risks for green energy employees. IoT software or devices would take their place when monitoring power production and potential maintenance problems, ultimately reducing workplace accidents and dangers.

IoT tech also helps in other areas. Anyone working in manufacturing facilities would benefit from smart devices that monitor for pests remotely and provide real-time tracking that prevents the spread of disease. Technologies that make renewable energy workplaces safer mean more people will want industry jobs, ultimately boosting production for interested consumers.

Although current IoT endeavors are 95% small or medium-scale projects, creating more large-scale software would benefit green energy companies in the long run. Implementing companywide software at solar or wind farms would improve machine maintenance and performance by gaining active insight.

More efficient use of space would also create opportunities for additional panels or turbines. Energy would be more accessible, lowering the cost for consumers who may want to leave traditional power grids.

The same IoT and cloud technology on renewable energy farms could also offer other benefits. While climate change intensifies natural disasters, smart sensors on solar farms could monitor for wildfires and track precipitation to predict wildfire probability. They could also watch for animals and prevent 538,000 avian deaths annually at wind farms, helping species that may already be disappearing due to global warming.

Anything that improves production directly benefits consumers. Making energy more efficient and less costly due to maintenance issues or machinery repairs reduces the ultimate cost per kilowatt. Consumers interested in renewable energy adoption will be more likely to make the financial leap if it costs them less than it would have in previous years.

There are many reasons why IoT and the cloud could improve the future of renewable energy adoption. The numerous benefits for industry leaders and consumers make them viable options for making the future greener without reducing electricity usage.

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Aunalytics to Showcase Its Portfolio of Managed Services, Enterprise Cloud, and Data Cleansing Solutions for IT Professionals at the 2022 Mi-GMIS Fall…

September 15, 2022 | Author: admin

Aunalytics

Leading Data Management and Analytics Company Provides the Tools Michigan IT Pros Need to Improve Operational Efficiencies and Provide the Highest Levels of IT Security to Their Organizations

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Sept. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aunalytics, a leading data management and analytics company delivering Insights-as-a-Service for mid-market businesses, announced today it will participate in the 2022 Mi-GMIS Fall Conference on September 18-21 in Boyne Falls, Michigan. The event is hosted by the Michigan Government Management Information Sciences and will bring together government IT professionals across the state of Michigan whose role is to meet the informational needs of their organizations employees and to play an instrumental part in achieving organizational goals using IT resources. The conference program is designed to keep IT professionals abreast of best practices and industry trends, and how they can be applied to their organizations productively and economically.

Aunalytics will feature its managed services, enterprise cloud, and data cleansing portfolio. The company provides IT and security expertise to mid-market businesses in the areas of cities and local government, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services. The companys Secure Managed Services offering combines mission critical IT services leveraging zero-trust end-to-end security to ensure data is protected regardless of a users location. Aunalytics provides managed components that offer stability and security, and its next-generation managed services offering is powered by a data platform that provides data-driven IT answers and embedded security that focuses on people and access.

The full suite of managed IT and integrated security services empowers businesses with a complete, all-encompassing approach that includes 24/7/365 monitoring and management, a synchronized network security platform, workstation and server patching, internet protection, email filtering and security, Office 365 management and security, multi-factor authentication, data and device encryption management, and security awareness training.

Story continues

The company delivers advanced security for defending against modern threats through a team of engineers and analysts with expert skills and toolsets and, in regulated industries, Aunalytics provides the additional technology and controls required to manage risk. Its team of experts is dedicated to analyzing ever-changing rules and regulations and helping users to create processes and policies for data protection and meet compliance requirements within those industries that are regulated.

Aunalytics Enterprise Cloud offering is comprised of infrastructure solutions that provide a highly redundant and scalable platform for hosting servers, data, analytics and applications at any performance level. With the AunalyticsCloud Storage and Compute solution, users are assured the highest levels of security, accessibility, expertise, scalability, and savings. Aunalytics data centers, located in Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan, meet the most rigorous standards for security, weather protection, temperature and humidity controls, fire suppression and more.

The companys cloud offering has achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Ready status and is actively working toward FedRAMP certification. Certified cloud-based products help U.S. federal agencies meet increasingly complex regulations and defend against cybersecurity threats, prevent data loss, enforce compliance, and protect agency domains.

Government IT professionals across the state of Michigan face similar challenges and opportunities, and are eager for real-world knowledge about emerging technology and management solutions, said Steven Burdick, Vice President Sales Cloud, Aunalytics. Our portfolio of managed services, enterprise cloud, and data cleansing solutions provides the tools they need to improve operational efficiencies and provide the highest levels of IT security. We look forward to meeting with IT pros at the Mi-GMIS Fall Conference and demonstrating how Aunalytics can help them meet the needs of employees and advance their organizations goals.

Tweet this: .@Aunalytics to Showcase Its Portfolio of Managed Services, Enterprise Cloud, and Data Cleansing Solutions for IT Professionals at the 2022 Mi-GMIS Fall Conference in September #Informationtechnology #Managedservices #Enterprisecloud #Datacleansing #Dataplatform #Dataintegration #Dataaccuracy #Digitaltransformation #ITsecurity #Securitytechnology

About AunalyticsAunalytics is a leading data management and analytics company delivering Insights-as-a-Service for mid-sized businesses and enterprises. Selected for the prestigious Inc. 5000 list for two consecutive years as one of the nations fastest growing companies, Aunalytics offers managed IT services and managed analytics services, private cloud services, and a private cloud-native data platform for data management and analytics. The platform is built for universal data access, advanced analytics and AI unifying distributed data silos into a single source of truth for highly accurate, actionable business information. Its Daybreak industry intelligent data mart combined with the power of the Aunalytics data platform provides industry-specific data models with built-in queries and AI for accurate mission-critical insights. To solve the talent gap that so many mid-sized businesses and enterprises located in secondary markets face, Aunalytics side-by-side digital transformation model provides the technical talent needed for data management and analytics success in addition to its innovative technologies and tools. To learn more contact us at +1 855-799-DATA or visit Aunalytics at http://www.aunalytics.com or on Twitter and LinkedIn.

PR Contact Denise NelsonThe Ventana Group for Aunalytics (925) 858-5198dnelson@theventanagroup.com

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C&S Wholesale Grocers looks to the cloud to become more efficient – Grocery Dive

September 15, 2022 | Author: admin

Dive Brief:

C&Ss new system is intended to enable the company to glean insights that will allow it to provide better service to customers while also cutting its carbon emissions and reducing food spoilage, according to the announcement.

The platform will mine data to provide more predictable delivery schedules to the distributors and retailers C&S serves, allowing the company to give customers improved visibility into when products will arrive and helping them better manage inventory, Amit Bajaj, president of TCS North America, said in the press release.

In addition, the system will provide C&S workers with access to self-service information technology tools that will improve their ability to serve companies they work with, according to the release. C&S provides approximately 7,500 independent supermarkets and other retail locations with access to an assortment of more than 100,000 products.

Beyond allowing C&S to refine its supply chain management capabilities and provide grocers with more predictable delivery schedules, particularly during periods of peak demand, the new platform is intended to allow the company to save energy by migrating computing resources to Googles data centers. Google Clouds operations are entirely carbon neutral today, and the internet giant says it intends to use only carbon-free energy to power its servers by 2030.

C&S is among a number of companies in the grocery industry that are working with Google to handle key aspects of their businesses.

Last year, Hy-Vee entered a multi-year deal to use Google Cloud to make its Aisles Online e-commerce platform more convenient for shoppers, while Albertsons said it would use Googles search and mapping tools to help shoppers place online orders. Also in 2021,checkout technology company Trigo announced that it would use Google Cloud to help retailers manage how shoppers pay for products in stores.

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Inspur AI Servers Achieve Record-Breaking Results in the Latest MLPerf v2.1 Inference Benchmarks – Business Wire

September 15, 2022 | Author: admin

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inspur Systems, a leading data center, cloud computing and AI solutions provider, announced that Inspur AI servers achieved record-breaking results with massive performance gains in the newly-released MLPerf Inference v2.1 AI benchmark results. Inspur AI servers took the lead in more than half of the tasks in the Closed division, posting improvements in performance over 100% in multiple tasks compared to previous results.

Inspur AI Servers were top ranked in 19 out of 30 tasks in the Closed division, which offers an apples-to-apples performance comparison between submitters. Among them, Inspur AI servers won 12 titles out of 16 tasks in the datacenter category and 7 titles out of 14 tasks in edge category. Inspur successfully defended 11 performance records and saw performance improvements of approximately 100% in several tasks like BERT (natural language processing) and 3D U-Net (medical image segmentation).

Strong lead in BERT, greatly improving Transformer performance

21 global companies and research institutions submitted more than 10,000 performance results for the Inference v2.1 benchmarks. The Inspur NF5468M6J AI Server has a pioneering design with 24 GPUs in a single machine. Inspur improved BERT inference performance, which is based on Transformer architecture, with strategies including in-depth optimization of Round Robin Scheduling of GPUs to make full use of the performance of each GPU, enabling the completion 75,000 question-and-answer tasks per second. This is a massive 93.81% jump compared with the previous best performance in the v2.0 results. It is also marked the 4th time that an Inspur AI Server was the benchmark leader for the MLPerf inference BERT task.

The Inspur NF5468M6J AI Server achieved record-breaking performance that was 20% higher than the runner-up In the BERT task. The success of NF5468M6J is due to its excellent system design. It supports up to 24 A100 GPUs with a layered and scalable computing architecture, and earned 8 titles with excellent performance. Among the participating high-end mainstream models utilizing 8 GPUs with NVLink technology, Inspur AI servers achieved top results in 7 out of 16 tasks in the Data Center category, showing leading performance among high-end models. Among them, NF5488A5, Inspurs flagship high-performance AI server, supports 8 third-generation NVlink interconnected A100 GPUs and 2 AMD Milan CPUs and 8 GPUs in a 4U space. The NF5688M6 is an AI server with extreme scalability optimized for large-scale data centers. It supports 8 A100 GPUs and 2 Intel Ice Lake CPUs and 8 GPUs, and supports up to 13 PCIe Gen4 I/O expansion cards.

Optimization on algorithm and architecture, further enhancing performance

Inspur is the first to apply the hyperparameter optimization solution in MLPerf training, which greatly improves performance. Inspur pioneered a ResNet convergence optimization solution. In the ImageNet dataset, only 85% of the original iteration steps were used to achieve the target accuracy. This optimization scheme improved training performance by 15%. Inspur is also the first to use the self-developed convolution merging algorithm plugin operator solution in the MLPerf Inference benchmarks. The algorithm improves performance from 123TOPS to 141TOPS, a performance gain of 14.6%.

In terms of architecture optimization, Inspur took the lead in using the JBOG solution to greatly improve the ability of Inspur AI servers to adopt a large number of GPUs in a single node. In addition, the high-load multi-GPU collaborative task scheduling and the data transmission performance between NUMA nodes and GPUs are deeply optimized. This enables a linear expansion of CPU and GPU utilization and the simultaneous operation of multiple concurrent task, which greatly improves performance.

Inspur is committed to the full stack innovation of an AI computing platform, resource platform and algorithm platform, and jointly accelerates the process of AI industrialization and intelligent development of various industries through its MetaBrain ecosystem partners.

As a member of MLCommons, Inspur has actively promoted the development and innovation of the MLPerf benchmark suite, participating in the benchmarks 10 times and winning multiple performance titles. Inspur continues to innovate in aspects such as overall system optimization, software and hardware synergistic optimization, and reduction of energy consumption ratio, constantly breaking MLPerf performance records, and sharing the technology with the MLCommons community, which has been used by a large number of participating manufacturers and is widely used in subsequent MLPerf benchmarks.

To view the complete results of MLPerf Inference v2.1, please visit:https://mlcommons.org/en/inference-datacenter-21/ https://mlcommons.org/en/inference-edge-21/

About Inspur Systems

Inspur Systems is a leading data center, cloud computing and AI solutions provider, ranked among the worlds top 3 server vendors. It is Inspur Informations San Francisco-based subsidiary company. Inspurs cutting-edge hardware products and designs are widely delivered and deployed in major data centers around the globe, serving important technology arenas like open computing, cloud, AI and deep learning. Inspur works with customers to develop purpose-built, performance-optimized solutions that empower them to tackle different workloads, overcome real-world challenges, and grow their business. To learn more, visit https://www.inspursystems.com.

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Inspur AI Servers Achieve Record-Breaking Results in the Latest MLPerf v2.1 Inference Benchmarks - Business Wire

The Importance of Cloud Services in Education – Baseline

September 15, 2022 | Author: admin

In its early days, cloud computing was used primarily by tech-friendly and technology-related businesses. It is now making its presence felt in non-technology-related fields as well.Cloud services in the education field have been expanding rapidly. Educational institutions are making the transformation from traditional classroom-based learning systems to cloud-based systems quickly. Cloud solutions help create a flexible learning environment supported by strong and authentic security standards. This allows educational institutions to offer a broader and more scalable curriculum.

With online schooling gaining popularity, educational institutions are leveraging the power of cloud computing on a larger scale. It makes collaboration more accessible and allows students and teachers to access updated learning tools from anywhere. Most importantly, it is a time-saver.

Cloud computing is gaining importance in the education sector for the following reasons:

A cloud platform makes accessing educational resources easier for students and teachers. The same books, modules, and learning materials are available, regardless of the device used. This eliminates the need for physical textbooks. For students, only one device is needed for all subjects, making learning more convenient.

Teachers and educators also enjoy this benefit. They can upload coursework from anywhere, and it can be updated too effortlessly. Teachers can work from school or home as per need and convenience.

Another advantage is that changes in course material can be reverted and accessed for reference. Most cloud platforms keep multiple versions of a document in the database. This can come in handy when a user accidentally deletes some portion of a file or the entire document.

Users can collaborate in real time in the cloud. So, all students can work on the same assignment from the comfort of their homes. Also, indisposed students can catch up on lessons and homework. This enhanced collaboration certainly is beneficial for teachers too. They can share lesson plans with other faculty members or get instant feedback on projects. Additionally, working with different departments and schools is more convenient and less time-consuming.

Cloud computing in education is a proven time-saver for all concerned. As every activity is performed simultaneously and instantly, teachers and students can help save time. Many tasks that do not require students and teachers to travel to the schools can be done remotely. Lessons can be drawn up and completed quickly. Teachers can work at their convenience commuting, late at night, or even during holidays.

Cloud-based apps and platforms are simple and user-friendly, allowing schools to lessen other IT tasks.

Cloud computing is the perfect platform for students unable to attend traditional learning institutions. For example, working professionals may not get time during the week to participate in classes. They can access the study materials uploaded in the cloud at their convenience, after office hours or on weekends.

Some students who live in villages with few schooling options can study through online schooling. They can choose the school and the courses they want and use cloud computing resources to gain an education.

Cloud computing education can be a more cost-efficient option for traditional learning from famous institutions. Users can lower the hardware costs. As cloud apps are compatible with most devices, students and teachers dont need to invest in hi-tech devices. Cloud platforms also help reduce the use of paper. Institutions can also save heavily on photocopiers, printers, file cabinets, etc.

Many vendors offer their cloud services on a subscription basis or in a pay-as-you-go format. Educational institutions can begin with small investments initially and add more premium features or data storage on a need basis.

One of the most significant advantages of cloud computing is the availability of increased storage for less cost. You wont need any physical storage peripherals. You can also enjoy the option of automatically saving changes in the files and backing up several versions of your files. This is a huge boon for students and teachers. They know they will not lose any study material. It also guarantees uninterrupted coaching.

Cloud computing in the educational sector is not only about moving to the cloud or data storage and management. These aspects are a boon. However, there are other benefits that educational institutions can enjoy.

In the past, cloud service users had to invest heavily in software licenses and upgrades. Yet, with the availability of Software-as-a-Service technology, it is easy to access software solutions at a low and fixed monthly cost.

Educational institutions need not rely on expensive servers and end-user devices as in the past. Students and teachers rely less on agnostic and affordable cloud solutions. So, they access it from anywhere.

Cloud-based educational solutions can be accessed remotely. Likewise, students no longer have to go to school in fixed time slots. Indeed, they can access the educational material and teachers remotely by switching to the cloud system.

Cloud computing allows study materials and immediate updates placed within students reach. Teachers can establish that students are learning with their best study materials.

Cloud computing is making learning more accessible across the world. Likewise, more institutions are embracing cloud services in education. It makes learning more straightforward, affordable, and easily adaptable for students and teachers. So, if you, too, are contemplating a transition from traditional learning to cloud-based learning, make sure you research the available options. Also, look at the technology they use in detail. Certainly choosing the right cloud services in education benefits the needs of your teachers and students.

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The Importance of Cloud Services in Education - Baseline

Camcloud More than just a cottage industry – IT World Canada

September 15, 2022 | Author: admin

Lets say youre at the cottage and your home alarm goes off. But home is hundreds of kilometers hours away. What do you do? If youre like Brendan Harrison, co-founder of Camcloud, you start a company.

Our origins stem from one time I was at my cottage in Eastern Ontario, said Harrison in a recent interview. My home then had a traditional alarm system. I received a call, and as I wasnt close to home the security company offered to disable my home alarm remotely or call the police. I told them as I didnt want to drive all the way back home for a false alarm, they had better call the police. They did so, and I ended up getting a $150 bill from the police for what indeed turned out to be a false alarm.

This incident inspired Harrison, along with co-founders Dan Burkett and Alen Zukich, to start Camcloud.

Weve made it our mission to deliver a solution that is easy-to-use, reliable, completely cloud-driven, and requiring no specialized on-premise systems, said Harrison.

The cottage false alarm incident got Harrison thinking about the flaws of most video surveillance solutions, which were too expensive and complicated, and too time-consuming to manage, especially for a small business.

The standard solution at the time was little more than cameras linked to a standalone computer that did the recording for a single location. Harrison, Burkett, and Zukich wondered if it was possible to eliminate the server, moving the management into the cloud.

We eliminated the need to have a piece of hardware, like an appliance or a server, at 100 different locations. So we avoided replicating all that infrastructure. We reduced the maintenance costs, and it simplified the deployment.

The case for the cloud-based solution was compelling. Storing critical surveillance footage safely offsite and reducing complex onsite hardware were two key benefits. It also provided access and management of a private cloud archive with multiple cameras on the web with mobile apps.

Replacing proprietary hardware in the cloud for many clients involved interfacing with a variety of cameras. As a result, Camclouds solution is hardware-agnostic it can work with a wide range of cameras. This allows companies to knit together cameras across many locations.

The emerging solution filled a real market need, particularly with small- and medium-sized businesses. But Camcloud had yet to find its true focus and have its biggest success.

Multi-site

Eliminating the single remote machine, and taking the recording and monitoring to the cloud, has made Camclouds solution particularly valuable to companies with multiple locations. Camclouds multi-user feature allows users to efficiently manage a large number of cameras, users, and physical locations.

Remote management was expanded to include camera health checks that detect problems with a customers cameras.

You get to store all your video surveillance in the cloud securely in your own account. You get away from equipment getting stolen and camera management scalability. These are the benefits we bring. We offer a hardware-free approach to this space.

By offering a modern solution to the age-old problem of security installation, access, and deployment, Camcloud has earned huge accolades for their solution. In 2016 they won the Best New Product of the Year Award for Cloud Solutions and Service from Security Products Magazine.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning For Intelligent Monitoring

Once the solution was in the cloud, Camcloud was able to take advantage of developments in artificial intelligence (AI), using machine learning to solve a problem that plagues other systems.

The issue arises with motion detection. It is costly to monitor cameras 24/7 for businesses, but especially for those with a large number of locations and cameras. Motion detection is critical setting off an alert when the camera detects movement. The problem is that cameras cant distinguish between something harmless, like a tree branch moving in the wind, and a real threat such as a person on the property. Once again, false alarms are costly in terms of time, and can also result in charges for when police or security respond where there is no threat.

The answer, said Harrison, is in leveraging machine learning to understand when a motion should be ignored and when it requires investigation.

How was it possible for a relatively small startup to develop a complex AI solution? The company did receive the support of a government-funded university collaboration, but their solution required much more than a clever algorithm. To be fully implemented, machine learning needs to learn. That requires a huge amount of data designed to teach the algorithm to tell the difference between, for example, the movement of a tree branch and that of a person. And it must have data for a wide range of other conditions, and be able to learn how to make distinctions.

This is where having their solution in the cloud gave them leverage. This type of library of data, it turns out, was already available from Amazon Web Services (AWS), their cloud provider.

Today, Camcloud is offering a world-class AI solution that will detect and respond appropriately when people, vehicles, animals, and hundreds of other types of object are detected in video surveillance footage. Customers can now use the optional and affordable Cloud AI module to analyze and classify motion events detected by their camera.

Despite the high level of technical sophistication, Camcloud is able to make their solution affordable to a wide range of companies. Cloud hosting eliminates many hardware costs. AI-based monitoring allows companies to manage a large number of cameras in various locations without expensive human intervention. This has allowed Camcloud to expand its customer base, which is highly varied and is now drawn from many sectors, including small businesses, food chains and schools [who] all want security and peace of mind. And yes, Camcloud also serves cottage owners.

Solutions to Client Challenges

Many current video surveillance solutions are too complicated and expensive, and can be time-consuming and difficult to manage. Customers often have problems to solve. They have varied requirements, some of which may include requiring surveillance with easy access, no hardware, and only cloud-based while being supported with mobile access.

Harrison is excited about solving those problems. What he is most proud of? Seeing our customers use our platform, use the technology for more active operational management and drive efficiencies in their business.

Camcloud has found reliable ways to solve the many complex problems that can arise when the security of its customers is paramount. Business owners have many other important things to focus on every day; they dont need to be worrying about surveillance.

Engaging the Customers in a Competitive Market

Surveillance has become an increasingly competitive market. With the likes of Google (Nest), Amazon (Ring) and Apples smart home, the market has become swallowed up by the home automation space.

Leveraging the cloud, Camcloud found a niche and addressed a real customer need. From their initial cottage solution, they found that customers were coming to Camcloud and saying, We love your open platform and want to use it for our business.

Camcloud has found that other businesses integrators and resellers are contacting them, asking how they can sell their service.

Camcloud recruits channel partners who are installing the cameras. But then, said Harrison, what they can do is offer our cloud-based service instead of an on-premise service. Our partners love our platform because it allows them to mix and match the cameras they use depending on their specific needs.

Download: SMBs Leveraging AI in the Cloud 4 Innovative Organizations

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Camcloud More than just a cottage industry - IT World Canada

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